The Cursed Children
by Midrabbit
Summary: Albus Severus Potter is sorted into Slytherin, his worst nightmare has come true. Now that a Prophecy predicting the third rise of Voldemort coming from 'The house of snakes', Albus and his new friend Scorpius must fight to protect the house they've grown to love.


Albus smiled shakily at Rose as the train pulled out of the platform. No longer able to see his parents, he became even more aware of the incessant staring coming from all sides.

"Let's find an empty carriage," He mumbled, grabbing Rose's sleeve, "It's too crowded here."

The two of them wove their way through the crowd, bumping into James on the way. He was tall with scruffy dark hair, much like Harry's, and a wide, mischievous grin. In his hands was a large toad, who was wriggling to get free.

"Where did you get that?" Albus said, eyeing the toad warily.

"Who, Froggy? Teddy gave him to me to keep me quiet."

"Quiet about what?"

"Well," James' eyes glittered, "I _did_ just see him snogging Victoire."

Albus recoiled, still keeping his eyes fixed on the frog, "Our Victoire?"

"Oh yes." James smiled slyly, "Of course, I've known for some time. In fact- hey, there she is now!"

A beautiful girl with shimmering silver-blonde hair and deep blue eyes turned to look at the trio, her face pinched into an angry scowl. She glared at them for a second before turning back to her friends and whispering something, causing them all to dissolve into giggles.

" _Girls_." James sighed, "Anyway, you'd better find a carriage now, otherwise you might have to share with some Slytherins."

And with that he departed, one hand in his pocket, the other firmly clasping his toad.

There were now almost no empty carriages left, with older students having saved seats for each other, leaving no room for first years. Eventually, they found a free compartment, a bubble of emptiness surrounding a small blond figure, sat hunched over.

"Hello!" Said Rose, bursting into the compartment in a manner very much like her mother, "I'm Rose. And you're Draco Malfoy's son."

With a jolt, Albus realised that it was. The boy's head snapped up, ready to fire back a scornful answer, when his eyes fell on Albus.

"I think our parents knew each other." Albus said quietly, "We saw you on the platform."

"Well go ahead then." The boy said angrily, "Declare yourself my enemy. That's how these things work, isn't it?"

"Um," Rose said as she sat down next to the boy, "We just need a place to sit, we don't want to argue."

The boy shuffled away from her slightly, but didn't say anything else. Albus noted how much he looked like his father: he had a sharp, pointed face, and his skin was extremely pale, almost translucent. His long, nervous hands were fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he looked out the window.

"So, what's your name?" He asked, sitting down beside Rose and giving her a meaningful glance. She quickly rearranged her features to a more sympathetic look, glancing sideways at the shy figure beside them.

"Scorpius." He said.

"I'm Albus, and this is Rose."

Scorpius looked up nervously, not meeting Albus' eyes, "I think most people already know who you are."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you're Harry Potter's son, after all."

"How did you know that?"

"Everyone knows." Scorpius smiled slightly, moving in closer.

"Is that why everyone was staring at us?" Rose asked.

"Yes."

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, considering each other. They were a mismatched trio, with Hermione's wide-eyed, youthful enthusiasm, Albus' confident, self assured manner, and Scorpius' soft shyness.

Their silence wasn't uncomfortable, but Albus couldn't help but avoid looking into Scorpius' eyes. By now he'd guessed that their parents had disliked each other, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, but there was something else, a bitterness just beneath the surface.

"Did your dad see mine?" Scorpius said eventually, looking down at his hands.

"I think so," Albus said, "Why?"

"No reason."

"And you mum," Scorpius turned to Rose, who looked at him sharply, "Isn't she running for Minister this year?"

Rose flushed with pleasure and smiled, "Yes, and she's a popular candidate!" She boasted, lifting her head proudly.

"My parents are voting for her."

The silence resumed as the three of them sat nodding and smiling at each other, unsure of what to say. Albus, who couldn't bear awkwardness, was the first to speak.

"So, what house do you all want to be in?"

"Anything but Slytherin!" Scorpius and Rose said together, laughing.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Albus smiled.

"Believe me, my entire family were Slytherins. Christmas get-togethers are hell." Scorpius laughed, opening up for the first time.

They carried on talking for what seemed like a lifetime. When the sun began to set, Scorpius taught Albus and Rose how to cast a charm that emitted candlelight.

"It gives off a nicer light than Lumos, which is always too bright for me." He said.

They all practiced the charm, which ended with Albus screaming ' _Lucerna Maxima'_ at the top of his lungs, and almost setting Scorpius' hair alight. He brushed the ashes out of his new friend's charred hair, laughing as he scowled at him, pouting in mock anger.

"Isn't it about time we got changed into our robes?" Rose asked, gathering a small black bundle from her trunk and standing up, "I'm going to the bathroom, I don't want to change in front of you boys." She sniffed and left the room.

They both awkwardly turned away from each other to change, trying not to look at each other too often. Scorpius got tangled in his too-tight cape, and called on Albus for help.

"It's not that I _can't_ tie it," He said, looking anywhere but Albus' hands, which were brushing at his throat, "It's just that I'm not used to this kind of clasp."

"Oh, of course," Albus smirked, "I guess that means I won't be dressing you like this for the next few years."

Scorpius blushed and smacked his arm; this only made Albus laugh and pull away, collapsing back in his seat.

"Are you two fighting already?" Rose said as she reentered the carriage, rolling up her long sleeves.

Albus smiled at Scorpius, who stuck out his tongue. The three of them laughed, settling back down.

"Firs' years?" Came a great, booming voice over the tannoy, "Can any firs' years wait on the platform to be escorted to the hall?"

"That's Hagrid," Said Albus in a surprised voice, "I saw him yesterday, he came to my house for tea!"

"Who?" Scorpius asked and, when Albus looked at him, he saw he was hanging onto his every word.

"Rubeus Hagrid, he's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. My dad's friends with him."

"I find him a little scary," Rose laughed, "But I'm sure he wouldn't hurt a fly."

Scorpius' eyes were wide as he asked more questions, each one asked more feverently than the last. He was drinking in everything he could about the school: " _Did Albus really know the Herbology teacher?" "Was Rose's mum really offered the position of Headmistress?"_

When the train finally pulled up to the station, Scorpius was wide eyed and over-excited.

"I really hope I get put in Gryffindor, but I don't think I'm brave enough." He said, jumping up to look out the window and gaze at the castle before him.

"I don't know, I think I'd like to be in Ravenclaw." Rose said, joining him.

"I just don't want to be in Slytherin." Albus said, fiddling with the clasp on his cloak, "I don't care what anyone says, they sound pretty evil to me."

"Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Rose turned, her cloak billowing out behind her, "Shall we go?"

There was a large group of confused first years gathered on the platform. Some were clutching pets, others were nervously clustered in small groups, glancing around at the unfamiliar faces around them.

Albus, suddenly shy, hung back as Rose entered the crowd, introducing herself to anyone who would listen. Scorpius also stopped, looking down at his shoes and standing behind Albus.

"Don't you like crowds either?" Albus asked kindly, turning to his new friend.

"It's not that I like them, it's that they don't like me."

"What?" Albus said sharply, glancing behind him.

" _You_ might not know about our parent's history, but some of them certainly do."

Scorpius nodded towards the crowd and Albus turned back around. Before him stood about fifty students, all staring at him and Scorpius. Some were smiling and whispering to their friends whilst some were scowling, their faces stony.

"What's their problem?" Albus whispered.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," Scorpius said bitterly and Albus was surprised to see that his eyes were full of tears.

"Look-" Albus began, but he was cut off by a familiar voice cutting through the crowd.

"Firs' years?" The voice cried, "Are you all firs' years?"

Hagrid appeared out of the shadows, his large figure and great white beard making him look almost like a cartoon Father Christmas. Albus smiled at him, glancing at Scorpius, who had been shocked into silence.

"Don't worry, he's not as scary as he looks." Albus reassured him, to which Scorpius only nodded in reply.

"Alrigh' there, Albus?" Hagrid asked warmly as he waved for the students to follow him, "Made some friends yet?"

"Yeah," Albus smiled at Hagrid, motioning towards Scorpius, "I've made a few."

"Come on, then! We don't 'ave all night."

Albus followed Hagrid, who lead the curious class of first years towards a dark lake.

The lake was dark, almost black, and was shimmering with the reflection of the moon. Albus was sure he saw a tentacle reaching out from the deepest depths, but he brushed the thought away and searched for Rose in the crowd. She was talking to a short, chubby girl who was laughing uncontrollably at something Rose had said.

"Awright, get into the boats now, I promise it's safe." Hagrid said, climbing into the biggest boat and picking up the oversized oars.

Scorpius and Albus made their way towards the edge of the lake, trying to find a boat that wasn't too crowded. Eventually, Rose waved them over to her boat, where she was sat with the small girl from earlier.

"Albus, Scorpius, this is Sanjana, we used to live in the same town and never even realised it!" Rose said excitedly.

Scorpius and Albus both introduced themselves politely, and looked around them at the dozens of candlelit boats which were now gliding across the lake, charmed to move at an incredible pace.

"Are you Harry Potter's son?" Sanjana asked, gazing at Albus.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Albus said shyly.

"That's pretty cool y'know?" She replied, "My mum was at the Battle of Hogwarts, but she was in a different year to your dad."

"The Battle of Hogwarts?" Albus asked, noticing that Scorpius had suddenly gotten even paler than usual.

"You don't know about the battle of Hogwarts?" Sanjana said, shocked, "Well… maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you about it. If your dad hasn't already told you then- I guess…"

"Don't worry, it's fine." Albus said, "I don't really need to know."

"Look," Rose said, breaking the tension, "We're almost here!"

The boat was slowing down, almost at the edge of the lake. Through the windows of the castle, Albus could just see the movement of hundreds of students waiting to watch them be sorted. James always talked of the sorting as a terrifying, painful experience but his dad had reassured him that it would be over in a moment.

A knife of fear twisted in his stomach; what if he was separated from his friends? What if he was put into Slytherin?

He felt a hand on his arm, and realised Scorpius was pulling him out of the boat, which had finally stopped moving. Watching his classmates scramble up onto the wet grass, Albus fixed his eyes on Hagrid, who was helping a lanky boy who'd fallen into the water and was thrashing around.

"The rest of ya'd better go up to the hall. Headmistress'll be up there to meet ya," He called at the remaining students.

They all trundled up the dirt path, pressing together in a large group. The distant hooting of owls and the occasional rustling in the bushes beside them created a tense atmosphere, and Albus was glad when they finally reached the giant castle doors.

"This is it!" Rose whispered to him.

"Yep," Albus replied, almost sick with fear.

They were led through the doors by a young, tired-looking teacher, who instructed them to stay silent and try to remain in a straight line.

"I am Professor Hall, and I teach History here." He said, his cool voice carrying across the room, "I'm the deputy head, so if any of you misbehave tonight, the Headmistress will hear about it."

There was a chorus of _Yes, Sir_ 's and _Yes Professor_ 's before they all filed into the Great Hall, squinting against the sudden burst of bright light. The hall was full, with students sat on benches, arranged by house; Albus thought the Slytherin bench looked particularly sinister.

The sorting hat, which had been described in detail to Albus, was sat on an old stool. Years ago it had been said to sing songs, but now it remained silent aside from calling out the names of houses.

Professor Hall starting reading out a long list of names, with the first student, Jamie Abe, being the first to be called up.

Rose was the first of Albus' friends to be called, and she bounded up with barely contained excitement.

She jumped at the stool, and wriggled around as the hat was placed on her head. It had barely been on for a second before it cried out in a clear ringing voice:

" _Gryffindor!"_

The hall erupted into applause, and Rose stumbled towards the Gryffindor table, where she was greeted with smiles and high fives from older years. She caught Albus' eye and shrugged, grinning widely.

Sanjana Haja was called up next and put into Hufflepuff. She was met with hugs and enthusiastic shouts before quickly becoming engaged in conversation with an overly-friendly boy who'd been put there a few minutes before.

Albus' fellow first years were sorted quickly until it was Scorpius' turn. He walked up to the stool slowly, shaking like a leaf.

The hat was placed on his head and the whole school held their breath, leaning forward. Scorpius' face pinched, as though he was arguing with the hat; eventually he relaxed and shook his head and the hat called out:

" _Slytherin!"_

Albus was shocked, Scorpius defied every Slytherin stereotype he'd ever known. He was shy, kindly, and looked out of place amongst the calm, cool Slytherin table.

When he reached the table, nobody greeted him. Instead, they raised their eyebrows and whispered amongst themselves, apparently knowing something Albus didn't.

"Albus Potter!" Professor Hall cried out, causing Albus to tear his eyes away from the haughty faces of the Slytherins.

He walked, legs leaden and shaking, towards the hat. He sat down, put it on, and waited.

The Sorting Hat had a surprisingly clear voice; it rang in his ears as he sat there, with hundreds of eyes boring into him.

" _Mmm, I see brains,"_ The hat said softly, " _But I see kindness and bravery."_

"Why did you put Scorpius in Slytherin?" Albus asked silently, his entire body shaking.

" _I feel it's where he belongs. He's a cunning one, that boy."_

"But he doesn't belong in Slytherin, he's my friend," Albus argued, "He's _nice_."

" _Well, why don't you join him?"_

And before he knew what was happening, the hat's quiet voice had amplified, and it was addressing the hall:

" _Slytherin!"_ It cried, voice ringing in Albus' ears.

Mutters erupted around the hall and Albus saw James, who was seated at the Gryffindor table, eying him worriedly. There was nothing he could do but haul himself up off the stool and join Scorpius at the Slytherin table.

"At least we're not alone," He muttered to him, sliding down onto the bench, "It can't be that bad here."

The amount of people at the table staring at him suggested otherwise, and he noticed people from other tables were also craning their necks to try and catch a glimpse of him.

"Why do you think they stare at me so much?" Albus asked, picking up a plate to help himself to the food that had just materialised in front of him.

"It's because you're Harry Potter's son."

"I still don't know what that means," Albus said quietly.

"I'll tell you later," Scorpius replied, "I mean, it looks like we're sharing a dorm."

"I guess," Albus smiled, cheering up a little. He took a large bite out of a potato and reached across the table for a yorkshire pudding, "Do you think your parents will mind?"

"My dad was a Slytherin, but I still feel like he'll be upset."

"Mine said it was fine, but I don't know what my mum will think."

"When are we going to tell them?"  
"Tell you what," Albus put his fork down and twisted around so he was facing Scorpius, "First thing tomorrow, we'll both send owls home. That way, we'll be able to help each other with our letters."

"But I don't have an owl."

"I don't either, I think you can borrow them in the owlery."

Albus was suddenly aware of a tugging at his sleeve. He turned around and saw James sat next to him, ducking his head and grinning.

"Hey little brother," He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"James! You shouldn't be here!"

"Neither should you," He said suddenly serious, "I'm sure I can arrange something, they'll eat you alive here!"

"I'm fine, I can handle myself," Albus said, "And I'm sure I'll make friends soon enough."

James didn't reply, he was glaring at Scorpius, "You Malfoy's son?" He asked.

"Yes," Scorpius squeaked, taken by surprise, "Are you Albus' brother?"

"He's your friend?" James was shocked, staring accusingly at Albus.

"Oh, go away, James," Albus grumbled, "Go find Patrick or Robbie or whoever it is you're dating this week."

"It's Henry actually," James said haughtily, "We met on the train and he has this great party trick where he-"

"Go!"

Scorpius stared at James' retreating figure in shock, which Albus thought was fair. James often had that effect on people, and the shock was often amplified if he jumped you without warning.

"Sorry about that," Albus muttered, suddenly aware that his food had gone and been replaced with pudding.

"It's fine, I guess he knows my dad."

"He likes trying to rile people up, he probably doesn't know as much as he wants you to think he does," Albus said reassuringly.

"Hm," Scorpius replied.

They sat in silence for the rest of the meal, picking at their food; people all around them were laughing loudly, catching up with each other after a summer apart.

"Students," A voice called across the hall, making everyone look up, "Welcome back."

"Thanks, McGonagall!" Someone from the Ravenclaw table replied loudly, causing half the hall to start laughing and heckling.

"You're welcome, Mr Diggory," Professor McGonagall said, smiling sharply, "I suppose you wouldn't thank me if I gave you a month's worth of detentions?"

The hall fell into an instantly respectful silence, suddenly afraid of the teacher in front of them.

"That's better," She said, "Now, let me start again. Welcome, to our new students, and welcome back to our old ones.

I hope all of you had a safe journey and a safe summer. Unfortunately, some members of staff did not. Professor Robin will be away for a number of terms due to a rather… unfortunate incident that she would rather remained private."

"She killed someone," Scorpius whispered over Albus' shoulder, "Did you hear?"

"What happened?" Albus whispered back, noticing that they weren't the only people exchanging remarks.

"She was super paranoid, taught defence against the dark arts, and killed someone who she accused of being a vampire."

"Were they a vampire?"

"We don't know, but that's not the point."

"I guess," Albus turned back, suddenly aware that McGonagall was still talking.

"I don't need to remind you older students that the forbidden forest is out of bounds as part of our unicorn preservation project, meaning it's now illegal to enter the forest without proper permission. Yes, Mr James Potter, I'm looking at you when I say that."

There was a cheer from the Gryffindor table, and James was congratulated by his friends, and a new boy Albus didn't recognize but presumed to be Henry.

"Now, now," McGonagall said, "I expect you're all tired, so I won't keep you any longer. New students must wait behind so prefects may escort them to their room but, for the rest of you, I wish you sweet dreams!" McGonagall waved her hands and the hall burst into chaos and chatter as people stood up and headed out of the hall, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

Albus, Scorpius, and the rest of the new students all gathered around the Headmistress' podium, all feeling a little lost. One by one, prefects claimed their houses.

Rose was fighting her way through the crowd towards them, but gave up when she saw the rest of her house departing. A tall girl with short black hair came forward, asking for Slytherin students to follow her.

The new Slytherin students wound their way through endlessly complicated corridors before reaching the entrance of the common room. Albus worried that he would never find his way back to the hall, wishing he'd studied his dad's map of the school a little better before arriving.

"Snakes," The prefect whispered to the entrance before turning to the crowd behind her, "We don't change the password very often, and it's usually snake-related because our head of house is the most unimaginative asshole."

Albus, who by now was half-asleep, nodded his head and trudged into the common room. At any other time it might have impressed him; whoever had designed the room had obviously focused more on aesthetics than on comfort. The furniture was all black, made of either marble or leather, and there was a wall made of glass, displaying the depths of the lake. Once again, Albus was sure he saw a monstrous creature, but he was more focused on getting into a bed than anything else.

He and Scorpius, followed by about ten other boys, all made their way to the closest dormitory, dragging their feet slightly. With relief, he saw his trunk had been placed on his bed, and that his pyjamas had been taken out for easy access. He threw off his robes, all of earlier's blushing modestly gone, collapsed into his bed and knocked the trunk off with a loud, 'thump'.

The last thing he was aware of before falling asleep was Scorpius, folding everyone's robes and putting them on the ends of their beds.


End file.
